Wednesday Headlines: Duckin Facts In Dutchess Edition

So much for royalty…

We did a deep dive on Dutchess County’s long-term transportation plan, “Moving Dutchess Forward,” which, based on feedback and our own analysis, resorts to the age-old governmental practice of identifying a problem without actually taking steps toward a solution.

Residents and lawmakers are well aware of the county’s lack of transit options and bike and pedestrian infrastructure, but this plan doesn’t act with enough urgency in cities like Beacon or Poughkeepsie, where crossing the street can resemble a game of Frogger, according to advocates.

Here’s what people thought.

Elsewhere in the Empire State:

• Rochester’s new Vision Zero annual report shows the city leads mid-sized upstate cities in fatal crashes, and lays out 2026 plans including a traffic-safety data dashboard, more bike and curb lanes and a push to lower the citywide speed limit to 25 mph. (Democrat and Chronicle)
• New traffic patterns take effect at West Main, Genesee and Brown streets as part of Rochester’s Bull’s Head Revitalization Project, with delays expected through mid-November. (WXXI)
• The $4.5 million Route 17 bridge rebuild between exits 67 and 69 in Broome County is causing significant delays, with ramps from NY 26 closed and the project running through the 2026 construction season. (Press & Sun-Bulletin)
• Ithaca’s Common Council voted 8-1 to transfer the former Seneca Street parking garage to the Urban Renewal Agency, clearing the way for a taxable residential redevelopment after the 425-space garage’s permanent closure over structural safety concerns. (The Ithaca Times)
• New York State Police say a 45-year-old Watertown man walking along State Route 126 in the Town of Champion was struck and killed by an SUV early Tuesday; he was reportedly in the roadway wearing dark clothing at the time. (Syracuse.com)
• Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon signed a judge-brokered compromise putting two competing term-limit referendums — one setting a 16-year cap, the other 12 years — on the November ballot. (Central Current)
• Albany has quietly installed at least 66 Flock license-plate cameras since 2024 — more per capita than neighboring Troy, where the devices have sparked lawsuits and hours-long public meetings — as local activists now push the Common Council to ban them. (WAMC)
• Two decades after eminent domain for the original Second Avenue subway forced lumber dealer Howard Kahn to relocate, the MTA agreed to take only 15 feet of his East Harlem store rather than displace him again for the line’s extension to 125th Street. (Gothamist)
• A campaign-commissioned McLaughlin & Associates poll has Bruce Blakeman trailing Gov. Hochul by just 3.9 points, 49.6 percent to 45.7 percent — far tighter than an independent Siena poll last month that had Hochul ahead by 10. (The New York Post)
• The Bellerose LIRR station is set to get a new elevator, ADA-compliant ramps, new stairs, and an extended platform with a snowmelt system as part of the MTA’s push to make more than 90% of LIRR stations accessible under its 2025-29 Capital Plan. (Newsday)